Burch: Kane slams Ramsey

Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 10:05pm

By Michael R. Burch

Glenn Jacobs, better known by his WWE wrestling stage name, Kane, has challenged Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey to a debate about the proposed Internet sales tax. Jacobs lives in Jefferson City and is a co-founder of the Tennessee Liberty Alliance. If anyone can pound some sense through the thick skulls of Tennessee politicians, it may be the fearsome Kane. But in any case, Jacobs’ challenge got me thinking about the amazing accomplishments of Tennessee athletes, and the even more amazing failures of Tennessee political figures. So I have decided to create my personal Tennessee Halls of Fame and Shame.

Hall of Fame

Peyton Manning was an All-American quarterback at the University of Tennessee, the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft, and has won a record four NFL MVP awards. If he stays healthy, Manning has a chance to go down as the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

Oscar Robertson, born in Charlotte, Tenn., is generally considered to be one of the best basketball players of all time. He is the only NBA player to average a triple double for an entire season.

Wilma Rudolph was a track star at Tennessee State University, and the fastest female sprinter of her era. Known as “the Tornado” and “the Black Gazelle,” she won three gold medals at the 1960 Olympics.

Reggie White was an All-American for the University of Tennessee who went on to become a two-time NFL defensive player of the year and 13-time pro-bowler. He was known as the “Minister of Defense” and is considered to be one of the best defensive linemen of all time, if not the best.

Tracy Caulkins of Nashville won three gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, set five world records and 61 national records, and won 48 national swimming titles.

Bernard King was an All-American at the University of Tennessee who led the NBA in scoring in 1985 with an average of 32.9 points per game. He once scored 50 points in consecutive games, making 20 of 23 field goals in one game and 20 of 28 in the other. He is one of only ten NBA players to score 60 or more points in a game.

Pat Head Summitt was an All-American basketball player at UT-Martin and an Olympian. She went on to coach the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team to eight NCAA championships and ranks first in all-time wins among NCAA basketball coaches.

Todd Helton was briefly Peyton Manning’s rival at quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers until he suffered a knee injury and chose to concentrate on baseball. He now has Cooperstown credentials with a lifetime batting average of .319, an on-base percentage of .418, and a slugging percentage of .544. A slick fielder, has also has won three Golden Gloves.

29 Comments on this post:

You brought back many memories in the athletes, Mike. Thanks... for the memories.

But your Hall Of Shame is a few individuals in our political arena. It's questionable how bad they beat the politicians in all other 58 states (according to Obama in his campaign).

And adding them all together, that's a lot of crooks in the USA.

By:bfra on 5/17/13 at 4:55

What about T. Martin & team that won UT the championship? Not Peyton Manning!

By:Loner on 5/17/13 at 5:48

Alternate headline for this article: Jocks & Jerks

By:govskeptic on 5/17/13 at 6:24

One of about 3 of these Friday Editorials that I would agree with. I would not, however,
agree with any Mother Jones article on the best or worst of anything.

Glad to report that Sarah Ingram that headed up the IRS unit that the current scandal i received a $104,000 bonus last year for her work and has been promoted to now head up the IRS unit in charge of enforcing the ObamaCare law. What a country!

By:yogiman on 5/17/13 at 7:10

govskeptic,

If you think this nation is going up in smoke, you aren't too far wrong when the man in office is there.

If you're a true loving American, maybe you should go to www.wnd.com/video-obama-called-kenya-his-home/ and listen to him make the comment he's proud to be back home.

Then if you have the time, listen to Stephen Pidgeon on his findings "The Obama Error" which shows you where that man is taking our country.

By:Captain Nemo on 5/17/13 at 8:03

Manning and Martin were both good for UT, but I think Martin had a bad time in the pros.

By:Captain Nemo on 5/17/13 at 8:04

Since you had so many coffee breaks yesterday, yogi. How about lunch.

By:budlight on 5/17/13 at 8:16

The internet tax is anything added to your purchase. At this time, if you live in TN and buy something on the net, you are supposed to keep a record of it and then pay the state of TN the sales tax. Most people do not know about this or if they do, they do not follow it to the letter of the law.

Now it will just be done for us and we don't have to keep up with it. Why protest when it is just leveling out the field. Everyone will be taxed on the widget they order on line, regardless of the state they live in. Sounds fair to me.

By:yogiman on 5/17/13 at 9:15

Working on my house.

By:bfra on 5/17/13 at 9:19

Nemo - He decided to repair his shack! Maybe he is digging rocks or leveling hills.

By:dargent7 on 5/17/13 at 10:52

Peyton Manning has the charisma of balsa wood. Looks like a piece of wood, too.
Now, Joe Namath...won 1 SB, but was confident, brash, obnoxious, good looking, and WON on an unheard of, "guarantee".
Joe Montana was as good as Manning, as was Terry Bradshaw.
Don't forget Bart Starr. "The Best", revolves around your running back and receivers....who can catch, neither of which the Titans currently have.

By:bfra on 5/17/13 at 10:56

d7 - Peyton was born with a football in his mouth & dared not to drop it! Archie (daddy) was always so jealous of Joe Namath, he never got over the fact that he just wasn't as good & tried to prove it thru his kids. .

By:dargent7 on 5/17/13 at 10:58

Yogi: 9/11 killed 2,980 people...GW Bush went to war in the wrong country, Iraq, killing an add'l 4,900. No matter how you slice it, 9/11 happened 9 months after Bush was Inagurated and HE made the decision to go to war in Iraq. My grandmother 89, and neice 6, knew Saudi Arabia (hint: bin Laden, KSM, were born and raised there, as well as 15 of the 19 hijackers: FACT).
Bush: Worst specimen of a human being that exists...aside from Dick Cheney. A tie for last place.

By:dargent7 on 5/17/13 at 11:09

Having two QB's in the highly competitive NFL like the Mannings have is extraordinary. Archie did something right.
Also, two coaches in the NFL like the Harbaughs. Their Mom's are saints.
What's stranger, is a father & son team to gain the presidency like the Bush's.
A total freak of Nature and something went terribly wrong with those two as!!holes occupying the W.H. If Jeb Bush runs...and wins...I'm jumping OFF The Golden Gate Bridge (only 38 miles from my home).
Picking on a putz Saddam, back to back? A 3rd World country whose population is illiterate and think it's the year 11B.C.
Bad karma.

By:bfra on 5/17/13 at 11:48

d7 - Maybe so, but everytime I see the Mannings, I remember Archie about to cry talking about how he was as good as Namath but didn't get the limelite because he didn't exploit himself. Ya Sure! Peyton is more that way than Eli.

By:Mike Burch on 5/17/13 at 12:17

Dargent7,

I would include Donald Rumsfeld in the unholy Trinity of Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld.

Rumsfeld would sent Bible verses to Bush along with his requests to bomb Iraq. One reason that Iraq was invaded was that Afghanistan was "target poor." Cruise missiles cannot be used against small bands of men on foot or horses. Rumsfeld wanted to impress the world with American military power, as did Cheney. They knew Bush was a devout Christian, so they used the Bible to convince him that he was doing "the will of God."

All three should be hung for treason, but of the the three Bush was probably the least guilty, lacking the intellectual ability to understand how he was being used.

By:dargent7 on 5/17/13 at 12:42

MB,
Condi Rice was despicable, too. A PhD in Russian studiaies and she goes along with a Cheney? Colin Powell didn't want to go along but needed the job/ pension.
It's just amazing how a dunce and in the dark person like Bush can get the position of President of the USA....in comparison to a brilliant person like an Obama, a Kennedy, a Clinton.
Doesn't add up or make sense.

By:yogiman on 5/17/13 at 2:03

Regrettably, Mike, you guys go along with the Democrat Party when you would be more knowledgeable by going by the individual.

The two parties of today are like twins with two different fathers.

By:bfra on 5/17/13 at 2:16

yogi - Brains are just something you don't have.

By:yogiman on 5/17/13 at 6:10

Sorry to disappoint you, bfra, but it doesn't take much to be more intelligent than you.

Wrong? prove it. You seem to be able to make all kinds of accusations and claims but you have never offered any evidence based on knowledge. You can only say: You're wrong.

By:Captain Nemo on 5/17/13 at 6:38

..."like twins wit two different fathers"....

Since yogi likes doing the impossible , I would like to see if he can go screw himself.

By:Captain Nemo on 5/17/13 at 6:40

opps I made a yogi. shb with.

By:yogiman on 5/17/13 at 7:00

You just have to keep repeating your ignorance, don't you, dumba$$? Keep it up, you keep exposing your stupidity every time you posy on this site.

By:bfra on 5/17/13 at 7:09

yogi - How do you "posy" on this site? Is that a new dance?

By:bfra on 5/17/13 at 7:26

yogi is going to "posy" on one site & cook beans with tsps. in the pot on the other. Now somebody tell me, is he empty headed or not?

By:yogiman on 5/18/13 at 6:30

Like you, bfra, I sometime enter a misspelled word because my "spell checker" let's a wrongly spelled word in a post if i don't notice it.

But unlike you, I don't mind admitting my errors. I know I'm not perfect but you obviously idiotically believe you are.

By:yogiman on 5/18/13 at 6:34

And by the way, bfra, I believe you need 2 TBS of castor oil instead of 2 tsp because of all the gas you obviously have.

By:yogiman on 5/18/13 at 9:19

To you reasonably thinking men: If you haven't already been made aware of it, you should look into the Drano with a bit of aluminum with water in a plastic bottle.

Check it out on google or bing. You unreasonable thinkers should also look it up.

By:yogiman on 5/18/13 at 9:30

According to detail; in 2011 323 people were killed by guns, 496 by hammers, 650 by knives, 12,000 by drunk drivers and 195,000 by medical malpractices.

So today more people want to abandon guns from the citizens than all other things capable of and used to kill. Logical? I think not, especially when the government is making every effort they can to abolish the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution.

"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official." ~Theodore Roosevelt